Politics & Government

Bell Not Cleaned for Years, Despite Tickets

'No Parking' for street cleaning signs were left up, and drivers ticketed, though streets were not being swept.



It was all for naught.

Bell Blvd. has not had a street cleaning in years, but signs prohibiting parking for sweeping from 8 to 9 a.m. on most weekdays were left up until this past weekend, leaving drivers vulnerable to tickets.

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"Bell Boulevard has not had street cleaning in years due to the fact the area has maintained a high scorecard rating (above 90 per cent)  which tracks the cleanliness level of both streets and sidewalks," said Department of Sanitation spokeswoman Kathy Dawkins.

"In order to remove the signs, Sanitation sent inspectors to the local [area] and made a recommendation for the Department of Transportation to remove the signs," said Dawkins. She did not indicate when the communication between the two agencies took place.

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The DOT did not respond to an inquiry to provide a timeframe of when Sanitation suggested taking the signs down, as of press time.

"Thousands of my constituents have been ticketed by the City for a service they aren't even getting," said Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, adding, "Here, drivers were paying $100 tickets for street cleaning that hasn't happened in years."

Halloran had blasted the DOT at a Nov. 16 for its refusal to remove the signs. The also met with the DOT earlier this month to extend parking hours on Bell Blvd, which, according to the BID, they have in some locations.

"Excessive ticketing along Bell is , which are our primary job creators," said Halloran. "And this is ticketing for a non-existent city 'service.'  I'm glad the Department of Transportation came to its senses.  I just can't believe it took this long."

Community Board 11, which includes Bell Blvd., is one of only two Community Boards in New York City that does not receive street sweeping services from the city, according to Halloran's office. The other is Community Board 3 in Staten Island. 

Halloran is demanding that the Department of Finance dismiss outstanding tickets for 'no parking' violations issued during street cleaning hours. The DOF did not respond to an inquiry about their intentions to dismiss those tickets.


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